Clinton Returns From Africa To Good Reviews Of His Tour

DAKAR, Senegal _ — When President Clinton set out on his historic journey to Africa two weeks ago, he was determined to change America's perception of the continent.

Despite some U.S. criticism reducing his trip to ``a tour of contrition'' after he apologized for some of America's past sins in Africa, observers give him credit for largely accomplishing his main objective.

Some say Clinton's 11-day tour of six countries _ an unprecedented visit for a U.S. president _ helped to elevate the continent and its 700 million people beyond any position it has ever occupied in U.S. public consciousness.

``It's unprecedented the level of media attention that Africa stories have received in the last week,'' said Salih Booker, senior fellow for African Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. ``I think his trip has been very successful in the end.''

As a result, ``there will never be another American president who does not come to Africa,'' said the Rev. Jesse Jackson, U.S. special envoy for democracy in Africa.

Even so, the ultimate measure of Clinton's success will be not so much the flurry of attention Africa has received from the visit, but rather ``when the investments begin rolling in,'' Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu said in South Africa.

Overall, that's what Clinton's visit was designed to do: change the dynamics of U.S.-African relations. Africa supplies 20 percent of U.S. oil, and 100,000 U.S. jobs depend on its exports. But only 1 percent of U.S. trade is with that continent.

By traveling from Africa's western rim to its southern shore, from its smallest villages to its most modern cities, from its youngest democracy, South Africa, to its oldest, Botswana, Clinton tried to show Americans the new Africa, one whose political and economic reforms have made the continent ripe for new investment, despite its problems.

And to show Africa how serious the United States is about strengthening its ties, his delegation included large numbers of U.S. businers leaders. Along the way, he met with many key players in Africa, including activists from the human rights and democracy movements as well as heads of state.

He pledged to increase U.S. aid to Africa, now $700 million out of the $20 billion U.S. foreign aid budget. He told Africa that trade would not be a substitute for aid, at least until Africa could stand to do without the assistance. And he promised debt relief for those nations with the greatest economic reforms.

But back in the United States, what got his critics roiling were such statements as Clinton's calling slavery morally wrong while visiting Uganda and apologizing to Rwandans for U.S. inaction in stopping the genocide there in 1994.

``Here is a flower child with gray hair doing exactly what he did back in the '60s: he is apologizing for the actions of the U.S.,'' House Majority Whip Tom DeLay said last week.

DeLay, who made it clear he did not approve of slave trade, said Clinton ``didn't quite apologize for the chieftains in Uganda that were selling blacks to the slave traders, did he?''

But Clinton's statements, some African experts say, were necessary to put America's old relationship with Africa behind and develop a new level of trust.

``Those who work on Africa don't see this as groveling,'' Booker said. ``We see it as an acknowledgement of history that's helpful and useful if we want to launch a new era in Africa relations. It's entirely appropriate to reflect on mistakes of the past, and it's probably not unusual, with the exception that the president of the most powerful country in the world has never acknowledged mistakes in relations with a continent of black people, and a continent with which we have such a long history.''

But Clinton also went beyond symbolism during his trip, rolling out a host of initiatives that included millions of dollars in new spending on programs ranging from food safety to malaria prevention, from transportation to education, to help accelerate Africa's progress so that U.S. capitalists will want to do business there.

Taken together, however, the large sums he proposed may be only a drop in the bucket, given the magnitude of Africa's problems. Still, some observers say they were an important first step in establishing a relationship with Africa that will allow the United States to take advantage of the future development of the continent as a powerful player in the global economy.

``I am completely convinced that his visit and this new interest in Africa, even though there may be a few bumps in the road, will prevail,'' said Milton Thorne, an American executive living in South Africa and working for a technology firm doing business there.